Breakdown of Meillä ei edes ole puutetta, paitsi tätä pientä hävikkiä.
tämä
this
olla
to be
me
we
pieni
small
ei
no / not (negative verb)
edes
even
paitsi
except (for), besides
puute
shortage (lack, deficiency)
hävikki
wastage
Questions & Answers about Meillä ei edes ole puutetta, paitsi tätä pientä hävikkiä.
Why is tätä pientä hävikkiä in the partitive case?
It is governed by the word paitsi (except). When paitsi introduces an exception as a preposition, the noun phrase that follows it must be in the partitive case. This also naturally parallels the earlier partitive noun puutetta.
Could I use paitsi että in this sentence instead of just paitsi?
No, because paitsi että (except that) is a subordinate connector used to introduce a full clause with its own verb. Since tätä pientä hävikkiä is just a noun phrase without a verb, you must use the preposition paitsi.
Why is edes (even) placed directly between ei and ole?
In negative Finnish sentences, emphasizing adverbs like edes (even), aina (always), or koskaan (ever) are typically sandwiched right between the negation verb (here, ei) and the main verb (ole).
What kind of wastage does the word hävikki usually refer to?
Hävikki typically refers to material loss, inventory shrinkage, or waste, such as unsold food going bad in a supermarket or materials lost during manufacturing. It is a noun derived from the verb hävitä (to disappear / to lose).
As a quick refresher, why is puutetta (shortage) also in the partitive case here?
This is due to the negative possessive structure. While a positive sentence can take a nominative subject-like object (for example, Meillä on puute), negating a "have" sentence (Meillä ei ole) forces the thing being possessed into the partitive case, becoming puutetta.
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